Donating used pacemakers to the Third World? Why not keep them stateside, too?

from TheHeart.org

Years ago, Dr. Melissa Walton-Shirley convinced an elderly patient to allow her to implant a pacer for profound brachycardia. The procedure was without incident. Days later, the patient died of a sudden massive GI bleed with seemingly no risk factors. Walton-Shirley mourned her death as any practitioner does when a much-beloved patient passes away. She also mourned the wasted monetary resources that Medicare had expended, with no payoff in patient years. more